NATCHEZ — With his team just one victory away from playing for the MAIS Class A state championship, Trinity’s running back R.J. Fleming was not going to let his team come up short.

The senior rushed 18 times for 149 yards and scored four touchdowns in the Saints’ 38-11 victory over Riverfield Academy in the South State championship game.

Trinity will face defending Class A state champion DeSoto (Ark.) in the state title game at 1:30 p.m. next Friday at Millsaps College in Jackson.

Fleming’s virtuoso performance against Riverfield brought back memories of another standout Trinity running back who led the Saints to their most recent state championship in 2006, when Fleming was a freshman.

“As a senior I feel like it’s my role to lead these guys to a great memory like Stevan Ridley did me,” Fleming said. “It’s a great opportunity for the players and the coaches. I’ve got a great team around me man.”

All week long Trinity’s coaches had told Fleming he would be the key to a Saints victory, and on Friday, the senior delivered.

“All the coaches told me it was going to be on me, kept preaching it,” Fleming said. “All the players told me they weren’t going to get mad if I kept asking for the ball. It wasn’t a thing of selfishness, but I felt like it was something I had to do.”

Trinity head coach David King said Fleming’s leadership and ability helped carry the team.

“We talked to R.J. about the Chad Ridleys and the Stevan Ridleys when we got to this game here,” King said. “The leaders have to put us on their back and make big plays, and he made one play after another. He’s just an outstanding athlete and he’s got a great future at the next level when his (high school) career is over.”

Fleming wasted no time in making his first big play of the night, as he raced 33 yards for a score to cap off Trinity’s opening drive less than two minutes into the contest.

Trinity would face a bit of adversity late in the first quarter when Riverfield scored a touchdown on a Chase Cater 23-yard run.

The Raiders then converted the two-point conversion after Brad Rogers picked up the ball after a botched snap on the extra point attempt and raced in the end zone to give Riverfield an 8-7 lead.

But Trinity’s offense would answer right back on its next drive.

The Saints converted two fourth downs on the drive, one on a Fleming 8-yard run on fourth and five, and the other on a 15-yard Fleming pass to Trevor Faust on fourth and six.

Fleming capped off the drive on the next play, scampering 19 yards to paydirt to give Trinity a 15-8 lead following Givonni Dent’s two-point pass to Colton Franklin early in the second quarter.

After Trinity’s next drive fizzled out, Riverfield took over inside its own 25 in the final minute of the first half.

The Raiders tried to throw the ball up field to get into field goal range before halftime, but Trinity defensive back Kent King made the defensive play of the game as he intercepted the pass and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown with just 19 seconds left in the half to give Trinity a 21-8 halftime lead.

“That was a big score,” David King said. “Kent read it right and made a good play on it. Anytime we’re up two scores we feel a lot more comfortable because we know if our defense can hold them one more drive we’ll be able to score.”

And that’s exactly what happened in the second half.

Riverfield took the opening kickoff and drove down inside the Trinity 20, but were stopped and had to settle for Cater’s 29-yard field goal.

That’s when Fleming and the Trinity offense went back to work.

The Saints took the ensuing kickoff and drove 68 yards in 13 plays to score.

Fleming rushed for 54 of the 68 yards on the drive, including a 4-yard touchdown run that made the score 28-11.

Trinity’s defense forced a fumble on Riverfield’s next possession and recovered it at the Raiders’ 28-yard line.

The Saints offense then put the icing on the victory, as they quickly drove for six points.

Fleming once again capped off the drive with a spectacular 3-yard touchdown run, in which he sprinted out to the right, gave a stutter step to get around one defender and then dove over another defender Reggie Bush style to stretch the ball across the goal line with 27 seconds left in the third quarter.

The only scoring in the fourth quarter was when Trinity’s senior kicker Chas Moroney made his first field goal of the season, a 35-yarder, with 1:21 remaining.

Trinity might have advanced to the state championship game for the first time in three years, but Fleming and the rest of the Saints know the job is not done.

“We’ve worked so hard all year long,” Fleming said. “Since day one we’ve set this goal for ourselves and now we’re right here. Now we’ve got to finish the deal. That’s the most important thing. We’re going to have a great week of practice this week and we’re going to do it.”